3 hours ago
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Oliver Glasner has no doubts about Marc Guehi's frame of mind ahead of his potentially uncomfortable Premier League encounter with Liverpool on Saturday.
Indeed, he's baffled as to why the England international's professionalism has been so widely commended following the transfer saga, given the center-half simply fulfilled his contractual obligations. Arne Slot's Reds agreed a deadline-day arrangement with Crystal Palace, only for Eagles chairman Steve Parish to abandon the deal at the final moment.
During his Friday press conference, Glasner remarked: "I have no concerns at all. I'm completely convinced, and I mention this quite often, as long as Marc is playing for Crystal Palace, he will be playing with 100 percent. This is what I expect tomorrow.
"I'm really convinced that he will show this again. He's an amazing player; he's in amazing shape. So I expect a great game from him. Of course, I had a conversation with Marc, but I think you will expect it to maybe have been more or longer. It was really a very short conversation because it was easy.
"We talked before, we talked at the end of last season, we talked in offseason, we talked in the pre-season, and of course, we talked after the transfer window closed, but it was a five-minute conversation.
"On the other side, I'm really wondering why it's so outstanding if you stick to an agreement, it also shows you maybe what kind of times we are living in.
"If you sign a contract, let's say the normal thing is you stick to your contract, so we are praised for doing what we have to do, I think it's more the opposite, we should blame people who don't stick to their agreement.
"Of course he was a little bit disappointed at the beginning, but he said, 'No, it's fine, I like being here, I like the team, I like the staff, I like Crystal Palace, I'm a south London boy, it's all good, I will give my best,' and this is exactly what I knew would happen."
With the suspended Hugo Ekitike unavailable, England international Guehi will be charged with stopping Alexander Isak, who pushed for an exit from Newcastle to secure his dream move to Merseyside, at Selhurst Park.
Should Palace avoid losing to Liverpool, the London team will extend its unbeaten streak to 18 matches across all competitions, equalling a club record set in 1969.
Speaking before facing the only other undefeated team in the Premier League, Glasner said: "I don't care about it [the opportunity to match the club-record].
"Last year, we had the worst start in Premier League history, and at the end, we had a points record. I don't care about records, but of course, it's always better having positive records than going the other way."
Ismaila Sarr, boasting four goals in seven appearances against Liverpool, including a goal and assist in the Community Shield victory, is match-fit for Palace.
Yeremy Pino, Adam Wharton, and Eddie Nketiah are also ready to play, while Caleb Kporha, Chadi Riad, and Cheick Doucoure continue their recovery on the sidelines.
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